So if you enjoyed the (faithful) film, I would highly recommend the novel itself. Written in 2012, it too follows the interactions of four people around Willesden and Queen’s Park: best female friends Leah and Natalie, who cling to a lifelong love/hate relationship, and two other men, Felix and Nathan, who all grew up on the same fictional estate, Caldwell. The tragi-comic novel is divided into four distinct sections, each with its own stylistic quirks.
Leah’s opener is a stream-of-conciousness with dialogue signified by dashes rather than inverted commas. Not much happens really, except Leah answers the door to con-artist, Shar, to whom she gives money and is oddly attracted (much to the chagrin of husband and friends).
Felix’s story comes next, a more conventional past tense prose, which takes place over a single day as he visits his father, tries to buy a secondhand car, and argues with a bohemian ex-lover.
And the final part introduces Nathan, a homeless junkie. Bored? As in the TV version, you won’t (or shouldn’t) be. There’s plenty to enjoy, just don’t expect a page-turner. NW especially shines in its dialogue: spot-on and dangerously accurate, from its street characters to Smith’s portrayal of Natalie, the girl who always thinks something better is going on elsewhere. Even giving birth can’t fill the overwhelming vacuity of her existence.
Zadie Smith is adroitly perceptive and expresses some wry universal truths, especially for late thirtysomethings. Contemporary American writer Nicholson Baker, famous for ‘de-emphasizing’ narrative in favour of character, once asked: “The question any novel is really trying to answer is: Is life worth living?” And with NW, the answer is yes. But it’s not an easy yes.
